Shimla: In a bid to increase farmers’ income, exclusive organic models for off-season crops will be set up in villages and remunerative cash crops will be introduced as per land use and crop pattern suitability in rainfed areas of the state, Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar said.
“Farmers have benefited from off-season cash crops like tomato, cucumber, and karela (bitter gourd) which are in great demand in the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh during monsoons, while off-season crops like cauliflower, potato and beans fetch good prices during the months of May-June, he told PTI.
The aim is to increase farmers’ income and ensure them monthly returns of Rs 35,000 and traditional crops like chana (gram) would be revived, he said.
He further added that the agriculture department would buy cow and buffalo milk for Rs 80 and Rs 100 per litre respectively and sell the by-products.
Need-based demands of ‘clusters of farmers’ engaged in the cultivation of different crops would be accessed so that they could be provided aid accordingly, said Director Agriculture B R Takhi.
All schemes do not suit people working in specific fields and therefore it was decided that clusters of farmers engaged in different crops be made and need-based demand be accessed.
The agriculture department is in the process of identifying clusters of farmers growing exotic and off-season vegetables like ginger, potato, heeng, Kesar, garlic, cabbage, pulses, leafy vegetables, and millets or is involved in wheat seed production so that need-based help could be provided to them, he said.
The idea is to fill the gap in technology, tools, mechanism, pesticides, post-harvesting, grading, branding and other activities with financial and non-financial interventions, officials at the agriculture department said.
Wheat is being produced in 3.30 lakh hectares in the state and the production target is 6.17 lakh MT (metric ton) while the total foodgrains production during 2022-23, is estimated at 1649.97 thousand MT. Wheat, paddy, maize, barley and oil seeds are the main foodgrains.
Besides foodgrains, potatoes, vegetables and ginger are the main commercial crops of the state and an area of 82,000 hectares is proposed to be covered under vegetables, 15.10 thousand hectares under potatoes and three thousand hectares under ginger (green).
The production target for vegetables, potatoes and ginger (green), has been envisaged at 1759 thousand MT, 195 thousand MT, and 34.00 thousand respectively for the year 2022-23. The production of vegetables is increasing fast in the state and its production has already surpassed foodgrains production in the state.
PTI